While
taking a hike down a country road near dusk in my teens, an old farmer,
plodding along with his walking stick, abruptly stopped me. His wrinkled-weathered
skin did not diminish the energy in his clear blue eyes. Silver locks
flowed from his wide-brimmed hat while his peppered beard gave him
a majestic air of wisdom.

“Where
you goin’ sonny?” he asked.

“Just
taking a walk to catch a few fire-flies when the night settles in
on us,” I said. “They seem to show their magic just as
the sun goes down, but before the stars come out. I like the way they
turn the long grass into street lamps, but none of the city noise
to go with it.”

“Should
be a lot of them out this evening as soon as the red-winged black
birds fall silent,” he said. “So, if you don’t mind
my asking, where are you going with your life?”

“My
mom wants me to go to college,” I said. “She said it will
give me a leg-up on living as well as make me a better educated man.”

“Good
for you,” he said. “But what do you want to do with your
life?”

“After
I graduate from college,” I said, “I want to travel the
world before settling down to a job. I want to figure out some things
about this life.”

“Do
you mind a bit of advice?” he asked.

“My
dad told me to listen to my elders to learn their wisdom,” I
said.

“The
path to your destiny has forks in the road that require the imperfect
ability to discern the difference between opportunity and pitfalls,”
he said. “You will make mistakes in judgment. You will fail
often. But remember to make those failures into stepping-stones toward
your ultimate success. Never get down on yourself. None of it comes
easy, but it gets easier as you travel the path with a good attitude,
application by work and your ingenuity.”

“My
dad said something like that,” I said.

“Smart
dad,” he said. “In addition to forks there will be cul
de sac's or dead-end's, where you rest and re-evaluate the route you
have taken. Everyone comes to these markers at some point. You will
become wiser. Experience is the best teacher. So, if you find yourself
going down the wrong road, or the road isn’t working for you,
turn around and go back. When you return to your original location,
strike out in a new direction with the wisdom you learned while you
traveled along the wrong road.”

“That
works for me,” I said.

“As
a young man, you are heading toward your destiny,” he said.
“To me the term “destiny” implies a pre-ordained
purpose by some higher power. This implies a personal belief in that
higher power. That may or may not work for you. It also implies that
one's destiny answers the question, "Why am I here?" You
will find out on your journey.”

“Another
thing,” he said. “Your mom is right...choose your friends
carefully. You will adopt some of their characteristics into your
personality. When you hang with the smarter, more responsible folks
in your school, you become more like them and succeed like them.

“Additionally,
memories of your experiences are what come to you in those future
quiet times with yourself. Make sure you accept yourself at all times.
Even if you are not sure, assume a sense of confidence in your own
talents whatever they might be or come to be.

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“Some
memories will be filled with regret and some will be joyous. You will
have both in your life. You get to choose the number of each by the
way you live. And, one final thought from my days of meditation on
hay bales and sitting beside a quiet pond with dragon flies, turtles,
snakes and muskrats: everything you become, you chose. And, everything
you chose, you wanted.”

As
the fireflies lit the long grass, the old man tipped his hat before
continuing on into the gathering darkness.

“Thank
you, sir,” I said, as I walked through the magic of fireflies
and stars twinkling in the sky.

Frosty Wooldridge possesses a unique
view of the world, cultures and families in that he has bicycled
around the globe 100,000 miles, on six continents and six times
across the United States in the past 30 years. His published books
include: "HANDBOOK FOR TOURING BICYCLISTS"; “STRIKE THREE!
TAKE YOUR BASE”; “IMMIGRATION’S UNARMED INVASION:
DEADLY CONSEQUENCES”; “MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURE TO ALASKA:
INTO THE WIND—A TEEN NOVEL”; “BICYCLING AROUND
THE WORLD: TIRE TRACKS FOR YOUR IMAGINATION”; “AN EXTREME
ENCOUNTER: ANTARCTICA.” His next book: “TILTING THE
STATUE OF LIBERTY INTO A SWAMP.” He lives in Denver, Colorado.